


Kitty Does Research

by PikaPals16



Series: Six Queens Under One Roof [6]
Category: Six - Marlow/Moss
Genre: Angst, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Parrward, Past Lives, Rants, Research, Seymour/Cleves, The dating relationships aren't that important but imma list them here, aralyn - Freeform, henry sucks, srsly what is their ship name?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:13:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24032578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PikaPals16/pseuds/PikaPals16
Summary: Kitty has an idea. She wants to write a musical. But to pull it off, she'll need to ask the others about their past lives.
Relationships: Anne Boleyn & Katherine Howard, Anne of Cleves & Katherine Howard, Catherine of Aragon & Katherine Howard, Katherine Howard & Catherine Parr, Katherine Howard & Jane Seymour
Series: Six Queens Under One Roof [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1707313
Comments: 30
Kudos: 142





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Howard's POV

_Dear Diary,_

_The world needs to know how much of a d*ck Henry was. And how our past lives in general sucked. And I know just how to do it. But to do that, I'll have to talk with each of the queens first. You know, make some notes, etc. etc. Once I have that, I can start composing and writing. Oh god, then there's gonna be costumes and blocking and god I did not think this through. It's gonna be hard, but you know, I'm Katherine Howard. I'll figure it out._

_It's time to get started._

_Sincerely,_

_Kitty Howard_

I finish signing my name before getting out a fresh notebook, this one with a purple cover, with gray glitter accented on the bottom. Opening it to the first page, I make some general notes on some inspiration for each song.

* * *

_First song: introduce us, pretty much equal solos_

_Catherine: shakira vibes, maybe_ _Beyoncé?, has a lot to do with drums_

_Annie: Lily Allen, upbeat_

_Jane: ballad like really sad, ADELE DAZEEM, Sia_

_Anna: hip hop, Nicki Minaj?, Rihanna_

_Me: maybe Ariana Grande or Britney Spears?, LYRIC IDEA: Playtime's over, the only thing you wanna do is..._

_Cathy: ALICIA KEYS nuff said_

_Ending: retell our stories, maybe do cool counting lyric thing?_

* * *

_Obviously, I'm not a professional, so 8 songs should suffice. Now, let's do some character building_


	2. Divorced

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kitty goes to Aragon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys I actually did research wth

After lunch, I head over to Catherine's room, notebook in hand, and knock on the door to make sure she's not too busy.

"Who is it?"

"It's Kat. Are you busy?" A little bit of rustling, and then the door opens to reveal the golden queen.........and Anne sitting on the bed. _Of course._

"Are you ok?" Catherine asks, concerned.

"Yeah, um....I just have a um, project for school." I half-lie. I don't want the other queens to find out just yet. "And um....its about us. Like, back then." Catherine's expression turns into slight confusion, while Anne is on her phone, either eavesdropping or not paying attention whatsoever. _Hopefully, it's the latter._ "And I was wondering if you could, you know, tell me about your experience with Henry." _Hopefully I won't be as awkward with the other queens, but seriously, it's Catherine. Need I explain?_ The first queen purses her lips for a second, thinking, before nodding.

"Of course. Just let me get Anne out of here." At the sound of her name, my older cousin looks up from her phone. Catherine and I laugh at how clueless the green queen is. I step away from the doorframe to make room for Anne to leave. She leaves with a wink, and Catherine invites me inside. _Whatever those two were involved in before I came, I don't wanna know._

"Thanks for helping me Catherine." I say as we both sit on the golden queen's bed. "It's probably not an easy topic."

"It isn't, but it's going to be easier for me than it is than some of the others. I want you to know that." I nod. _Anne and Jane would probably have the worst time talking about it._ "So, where do you want me to start?"

"Well, you said you came to England from Spain right? You could start there." I tell her as I open my notebook to the first free page, titling it 'Catherine of Aragon'. She nods, then starts her story.

"Okay then. I had just turned 16 when I got shipped over to marry Arthur--Henry's brother. I had been engaged to him pretty much my entire life, but I didn't have a clue who he was until our marriage. Do you need actual dates?" I shake my head, allowing her to continue. "Okay. Well, shortly after that Arthur died of some unknown disease, and as it was back then, I was imprisoned. You know, _really_ helped with the grieving process..." She says sarcastically, but I can tell it's hard for her to remember.

"You ok?" I ask, placing a hand on her shoulder. She nods.

"Yes. I just, remember how young I was then..." Catherine takes a breath before continuing her story. "Anyway, once Henry turned 18 and became king, he made me his wife." I look at her in question.

"Wait, but wasn't it like illegal for him to marry his dead brother's wife because of Catholicism or whatever?"

"Well, yes, but eight years prior to that, Pope Julius II issued use of something called papal dispensation. Basically, it's permission from the pope to do something against canon law. So naturally, Henry used that to his advantage and married me." 

"Oooooohhh." I say in realization and awe. I've always been fascinated by history, as it is my minor, but I never thought that the other queen's lives would have so much of it. Much less Catherine. "So what's next?"

"Well, I ruled by Henry's side as queen for a while. I was regent for six months while Henry was in France, and won the Battle of Flodden against Scottish people. Normal things. But the one thing that didn't go Henry's way, was the lack of a male heir." _Ah yes. The reason while he quote only loved Jane unquote._ "I had five miscarriages, and my first child was actually a son, but he died within weeks of being alive...." Catherine trails off, and I can't help but feel she's breaking. _Catherine usually never breaks down in front of us. Much less me as she feels the need to be the strong one of the household._ I move over and wrap my arms around the oldest queen's abdomen, squeezing lightly. "The only child I got to take care of was Mary. Despite not being male, he actually grew quite fond of her, saying 'this girls never cries' and gave her privileges reserved for the Prince of Wales. Yet, there were times he was cold. Stone cold not just to me but to Mary as well. He prevented me from seeing her a lot of the time, especially when she was sick. And in those moments all I wanted to do was hold her." Droplets formed at the memory of her only daughter. I hug tighter, resting my head on her shoulder.

"Do you want to continue?" The golden queen nods, but doesn't continue right away. _I may not understand the feeling of parenting right now, but I'm sure it's really hard for the queens to remember their past children. I'm going to be patient._ After a moment, she takes a breath and releases me from the hug, wiping away the tears that had fallen.

"Then, as you know, Anne Boleyn came into the picture. Henry actually had three mistresses during out marriage--he had a son with one of them and actually another one of them was Anne's sister." _Oof, that's not something you'd wanna hear._ "Yet, Anne was different in his mind. Despite me staying by his side, every single time he put me down; despite our 24 years of undisturbed marriage; he wanted to annul our marriage." Her tone gradually changes to that of hatred toward the king. "He used to quote Leviticus to prove that our marriage was childless because I had married his brother. A lot of religious and political conflict went on, and Henry rejected all the papal dispensation he used to get us married in the first place. He actually titled me 'Princess Dowager of Wales' and I would not have _any_ of it. I continued to fight for both my position and Mary's position. I was still rightfully queen. I actually _insisted_ that my marriage to Arthur had never been consummated, while he _insisted_ that I retire into a nunnery--but like I said, I was rightfully and lawfully queen." The queen pauses, but I can't handle it, she's gotten me too hooked.

"What happened next?" Catherine smirks at my eagerness to listen.

"That's when miss Anne Boleyn announced that she was pregnant. My world fell apart after that." She avoids my gaze and focuses her attention on the sunflowers in her room. "I was separated from Mary, denied access into the court--banished actually, and spent the last years of my life in damp castles and manors." She turns to me again. "Yet, I didn't complain. I kept true to my faith, and spent most of my time in prayer, until the very end of my life." We both take a breath as Catherine finishes her story.

"Phew. That was....intense." The first queens genuinely smiles for the first time in a while.

"Yes. And throughout all that, and Henry's divorce, the people of England still saw me as their rightful queen. Not Anne."

"Yet you're deeply in love with her." I smirk, and we both burst into a short period of giggles.

"I have long forgiven her for her past antics." A moment of silence passes before Catherine comments. "I actually want to thank you, Katherine Howard." I tilt my head in confusion. 

"Wait, why?" The gold queen looks at me sincerely.

"Because I haven't opened up about my past life. Little bits here and there, slightly more with Anne, but never my entire reign with Henry." She takes my hands in hers. "To be honest, there were a lot of emotions I couldn't understand, moments I didn't want to believe. But just telling my story. I can't exactly explain it, but it's like a weight was lifted off of my chest and I'm lighter now. So, just thank you. I needed that." I embrace the oldest queen reassuringly.

"You're welcome." After a minute, I let go. "You know, you kinda sounded like Anne just then." She laughs.

"I suppose she's rubbing off on me." We share a smile until the moment is broken by Jane calling from downstairs.

"Girls, if you're upstairs, hurry on down, we're leaving!" _Oh right! We're going downtown today!_

"I guess we better go." Catherine decides, probably coming from my excited expression. The both of us get up from the bed, stretching. Before we make it out the bedroom, I ask Catherine one last question.

"Hey Catherine?" She hums in response as she turns to me. "If you were to remove Henry from your life and retell your story, what would it be?" She thinks about it for a moment then answers.

"Besides being able live with all of you and date Anne?" I nod. _Of course she'd say that._ She thinks about it for another moment. "I'd probably follow my faith and move into the nunnery on my on will and accord." _Sounds like her._ I make the note on the page. "That part of the project as well?"

"Yes it is _parr-t_ of the project." I smirk at the pun and Catherine shakes her head in disappointment, but we both laugh. We finally make our way out of Catherine's room, and the gold queen starts to make her way downstairs. "I'll be down in a second!" I call out, running to my room to leave behind my notebook and grab my phone. Before walking out of my room, I look back.

_Yeah. I'm making the right choice. This is going to help us._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sources in case I got anything wrong :/
> 
> Six the musical (Aragon's intro)  
> https://genius.com/Original-west-end-cast-of-six-no-way-lyrics  
> https://www.history.co.uk/biographies/catherine-of-aragon  
> (I also had to search up what in the world a papal dispensation was so there's that)  
> +various YouTube comments on Six videos :/
> 
> Some information from the musical and the website contradicted each other, so I had to pick and choose a bit.


	3. Beheaded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kit goes to Anne

_Now here comes part one of intense Henry angst. Hah, parr-t. But seriously, do I have everything?_

I look down at my 'emergency Anne care pack'. Water, tissues, stress ball, blanket, etc...... everything is in here. _11:00 pm. Anne should still be awake._ I pick up the bag, and my notebook, and head over to Anne's room. After knocking I head inside her room, knowing that she'll be by herself at this hour.

"Anne, you got a minute?" I expect Anne to be on her phone, but she's not. Rather, she's hugging her pillow close to her chest, way tighter than she should be. "Oh my god Anne are you ok?!" I run over to the bed, practically throwing the care pack on the side and wrap my arms around my older cousin.

"Yeah." Her answer is short, rather than full sentences like she normally does. _Oh god what the hell happened?_ "Lina told me about your project." With that, realization hits me. _Oh. That's why._ "I thought I'd prepare myself by remembering what happened but....." I grip her tighter. 

"I'm sorry." I let her go temporarily to pull up the care pack from the floor. "I came prepared." I say with attempted enthusiasm, which actually does earn me a smile from the green queen.

"Do you have Squishy?" She squeaks out. I smile, handing her her favorite heart squishy with one of those kawaii faces. Her face lights up at the sight as she takes him out of my hands.

"Here you go Annie." After a moment, Anne calms down and takes a breath.

"Okay. I'm ready now." I flip to the next empty page, and title it 'Anne Boleyn'.

"Alright. Start wherever you see fit." She nods.

"Well, as a child I received a lot of education. When I was 12, my dad sent me off to France to study abroad." She smiles. _At least this was a happy memory for her._ "I loved the language, the clothing, music, poetry, all of it. But, I think I most liked being away from my dad." I tilt my head in confusion. "I never really had a choice. He was just....so strict. I had absolutely no freedom whatsoever." I place my hand on her leg, a little reminder that she wasn't going to go through this alone. "But anyway." Anne tries to put on a hard face, similar to Catherine's, but I know it's extremely hard (despite her musical theatre major). "I came back to England in 1522, I was 21 I think, and I was sent to the Royal Court to attend the queen--as you know was Lina."

"Do you know why?" She shakes her head, and I nod afterward.

"Anyway, so I was in Court right? My appearance was....different I guess. I had a more sensual appearance that caught the eyes of literally all the guys there."

"Them and Lina." Anne playfully punches me in return for my comment, both of us smiling.

"And Lina--but I didn't know that then, obvi. Before Henry started to take notice of me, this one dude, Sir Thomas Wyatt, he wrote a couple poems about me. And then marriage arrangements were made for me and this other dude Henry Percy of some place or whatever. It was shortly after that that Henry started to pay attention to me. Like too much attention. He told one of his men I think, Cardinal Wolsey, to cancel my marriage, then proceeded to practically shower me in gifts." Anne shakes her head. "He was really pathetic." _He really was._ "I never wanted to go after him really. I didn't want anything to do with him, but my dad was all like 'No Anne, you need to go after the king because it will give our family status'." Anne deepens her voice as she quotes her dad, which causes me to laugh. Anne smiles. "He sent me like a sh*t ton of letters and poems and heck, he even wrote me a song." 

"Pfffff. Seriously?" I laugh out.

"Yeah. Greensleeves. It wasn't bad, but it could've been better." I nod, then Anne gets serious again. "Anyway, I ignored him at the beginning, but eventually, I had enough of my dad's antics. I started flirting back, but I didn't dare let him touch me. I mean come on! The dude was married!" Anne flings her arms up for a second before setting them in her lap once more. "So then, he had me move in with Catherine. Which, come on! I mean I knew I was one of her ladies in waiting, but moving in with her? I'm telling you he was obsessed. But I mean, what the hell was I supposed to do? You can't say no to the king. I couldn't say no my dad. I had no choice. I mean what _was_ I meant to do--"

"Annie, your spiraling." I stop Annie before she goes too far. She purses her lips and stares at me innocently--like a young child would. I take out a soft green blanket from my bag and wrap her in it. "You okay?" She slowly nods. "Can you continue?" A moment. Then a slow nod.

"I'll keep going. So, at this point I had to convince Henry to divorce Catherine and marry me. I gave him advice and ideas on things like religion, education, etc. And then a little while later, we got married in secret--before he divorced Catherine. God, what was I thinking then? I was NOT liked at all by the people. They still saw Catherine as queen. And when Catherine died, Henry didn't come to the funeral, but I did.......in yellow of all colors. I mocked her...." She trails off for a bit, and I can't help but think of what's going on in her head. "Anyway, I was crowned queen about a year after the divorce. You know, the strange thing is, is that I was pregnant then, so 3 months later I gave birth to Elizabeth.....my child....." I wrap my arms around Anne the same way I did for Catherine at the mention of her daughter. Anne doesn't return the hug, but continues on with a more somber tone. "Despite her being female, and having an older sister, she was declared as Henry's heir. And I know that later on, she did become a very successful ruler. I just wish I was there to see that...." Anne tries her best not to burst into tears, but as I squeeze her tighter, assuringly, she does anyway. "KitKat, I was a terrible mother. I couldn't be there for her. I--"

"It's not your fault Annie. Henry was a d*ck." After sniffing a bit, she pulls away from the hug with a sort-of forced smirk on her face. 

"Jane's gonna kill you if she hears you cussing." I smile.

"You don't have to hide your feelings Annie........we don't have to talk about it anymore." The green queen shakes her head.

"No. I started this, I'm gonna finish it." _I admire your determination Anne. And it's just for some project, thank you._ She takes a breath. "Henry and I continued trying for a boy, but all I ended up with was three miscarriages. So, as he does, he goes out cheating. I obviously couldn't have that, so what did past me do? Flirt. With like two or three guys of the court. I didn't cheat though, I'm not like Henry. I mean, you know I'm a very outspoken person, so naturally, Henry and I had a very argumentative relationship. We weren't on good terms, but I guess I'm ranting now. Basically, I stayed with him because I had to and 'cause he's the king."

"Didn't we all?"

"Good point. Okay then, after that, he started plotting to get rid of me and get with Jane, she was a lady in waiting. One of my ex-friends, Thomas Cromwell, helped him. Rumors spread that I was a witch, that I had six fingers on one hand--WHICH IS NOT TRUE IN THE SLIGHTEST, but the worst ones were the ones saying I cheated on Henry. So, when I went to trial, I was found guilty, because again, people didn't like me that much, and everyone who was rumored to have made love with me was sentenced to execution. I could handle the deaths of my friends, I mean, it was common for people to die and be executed, but........he forced me to watch George die right in front of me. I mean, it's just brutal. George was my _brother_. And he _still_ thought that I had sex with him like WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD DO THAT?!"

"Anne, calm down." I grab Anne's arms to prevent her from jumping up, but she squirms out of them.

"NO! GET AWAY FROM ME HENRY! I WON'T LET YOU HURT ELIZABETH! OR GEORGE! NOT AGAIN!"

"ANNE IT'S KAT!!" Her expression turns blank as she slowly but surely regains control. "Here, drink this." I hand her the water bottle and she drinks the entire thing in one sitting. Not making eye contact with me, Anne mumbles out.

"Do you have an ice pack?" Knowing that she'll won't want to talk about what she saw, at least not right now, I non-verbally nod and hand her the ice pack. Anne takes it and presses it to her neck scar, somewhat relieved at the cold temperature.

"You okay now?" I ask, using the same volume Anne had used right before. She nods.

"Nothing much happened after that. Henry had me beheaded with a sword." _I didn't expect her to finish. This was definitely really hard for her._

"And the last thing you saw was the Tower?" She nods.

"But right before that, I saw Elizabeth. Her face.......she was so scared Kat.....and I couldn't comfort her......I couldn't do anything.......I had no free will in my life......at all.....it was all, just.....pushed onto me by someone else. All my life choices that is." She finally makes eye contact with me, and I move in to embrace her once more.

"Hey, none of us had any choice back then."

"Except Anna."

"Besides the point." I hold firm to her shoulders, making her look at me. "You are so much more than what you were back then. The other queens love you. Catherine loves you even more. And I look up to you Anne. You're the best older cousin I could ask for, I wouldn't have anyone else." At this point, tears are coming from both of us. "It's not your fault okay?!" Anne pulls me back into a hug.

"As long as you stop crying, okay." I nod against her shoulder, not daring to let go again. I wipe the tears from my eyes. "Kat?" I hum in response. "Would you sleep here tonight? I don't wanna be alone."

"Of course Annie." I take all the stuff previously in the care pack (minus the blanket) and place all of it on the floor beside the bed. As I do that, Anne fixes the blankets and pillows, and covers the both of us under her green covers. As Anne is the one who needed care, she snuggles up against me, listening to my heartbeat. We always do this to calm us down--something stable to listen to. The other queens help us too. A few minutes pass and right before I drift off to sleep, I hear a sleepy Anne whispering. 

"Thank you KitKat. I love you." I smile against her crown.

"I love you too Annie."

* * *

The next day the two of us wake up to Catherine yelling at us from downstairs. _Ugh a few more minutes._ I roll over and flip through my notebook, making sure I got all I needed. _Sh*t I forgot something._

"What'd you forget? And language, Jane's awake." I sit up, notebook at the ready. 

"If you were able to change your life back then, basically rewrite your story with Henry, what would happen? And don't say anything about us, because I had that problem with Catherine." Even though the green queen is extremely sleepy, she still manages a smirk.

"Well, you said it can't have anything to do with the other queens, so.... wait I got it. If I could still have Elizabeth in my life, then I'd take Henry's poem slash song--Greensleeves, you know the one--and make it way better. I mean, it was okay, but with this master's skills," Anne points to herself. "It could be great." I finish writing her response and shut my notebook.

"Girls." The door opens to reveal Jane. _Thankfully it wasn't Catherine, who'd yell at us, or Anna, who'd find some_ _mischievous way to wake us up._ "Come on down, we're waiting for you." 

"Coming Jane." We say in unison, Anne getting ready in her room, and me running off to mine, taking all my stuff with me.

_Well, I'm glad the project is helping people vent and come to terms with things. Next stop, Seymour station._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sources:
> 
> Six the musical  
> https://genius.com/Original-west-end-cast-of-six-dont-lose-ur-head-lyrics  
> https://www.history.co.uk/biographies/anne-boleyn  
> +A YouTube comment that I can't remember where it's from  
> And some of it was just me building Anne's character
> 
> (Again picking and choosing between the contradicting information)


	4. Died

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kit goes to Jane (or rather Jane goes to Kit)

I decide after breakfast is a good time to talk to Jane. I mean, I just got done with both Catherine and Anne, and when I commit to something, I _commit_. However instead of me going to Jane, the silver queen approaches me.

"I suppose it's my turn next?" My eyes widen. _Wait, how the hell does she know? I mean, now I don't have to ask her, but still._ "Anna and Cath don't know yet, if that would be a problem. I overheard you and Anne last night."

"Oh my gosh, did we wake you up? I'm sorry."

"No, it's ok Kat. It gave me more time to mentally prepare myself if that makes sense." I nod. _Okay, at least she's ready._ "Could we go talk in my room? I'd prefer it if we were alone."

"Yeah, of course. I'll meet you there, I need to get my notebook from my room."

"Okay. Take your time Kat." We both head up the stairs, me in front. I briskly make my way to my room, grab my notebook, pencil, and phone, then head over to Jane's room. When I enter, she motions for me to sit beside her on the bed.

"Thank you again for doing this. Really appreciate it." 

"Of course Kat. Catherine actually told me how much it helped her, you know, let go of some things in the past. And I suppose the same with Anne?" I nod.

"Yeah. She didn't specifically tell me like Catherine did, but I could tell it helped her." Jane smiles sweetly. "So, you can start when you're ready." 

"Okay then. Uh, well, I first came into court as a lady in waiting for Catherine actually. When Anne became queen I attended her, and I witnessed first-hand the intense arguments and relationships Henry had with her. Anne as you know had some miscarriages, and in 1536, he started sending a bunch of expensive gifts to me, and promoted my brothers in court. He seemed to be attempting to grab my attention, but I respectfully and gently sent them back. Later that year, he moved my oldest brother and his wife into rooms with hidden passages to the king's apartments."

"Wait, why'd he do that?" _I don't mean to interrupt her, but I can't help myself._

"Well Kat, it's because the rumors and outrage that had happened when he first started seeing Anne. He didn't want anymore rumors like that getting out, so he kept us secret. And back then, I was fine with that. After Anne had miscarried a son, Henry publicly announced that he couldn't have children with her anymore. Then the whole ordeal happened with Anne and her trial. Henry sent me a personal message telling me about her execution, and he asked me to stand by his side during it." Jane stays quiet for a moment before speaking again. "And I........was happy to do it....." The silver queen starts to fiddle with her hands. "I had earned the king's favor after all. I happily stood by him with honor........and watched Anne's head get chopped off." Jane purses her lips, and I take her hands in mine.

"It's okay, Jane. We were all faced with decisions where the other option was basically death. There was pressure to earn the king's favor."

"I know, but the guilt is still there. The opportunity to marry me was one of his motivation factors to get rid of Anne."

"Who has long forgiven you. She doesn't see it as a big deal." I remind the queen, squeezing her hands lightly. "In fact, she looks up to you, like a....second mother. In a way, we all do." At the word mother, she flinches, but relaxes a bit afterward. _Ah...bad word choice? We haven't even gotten to her marriage yet._

"Thank you, Kat. I'd like to continue now." I nod, letting her carry on with the story. "Just a day after the execution, I was betrothed to Henry, 10 days later, we got married, and 5 days after that I was declared queen. It all moved so fast, but I didn't complain because under everything I had seen, I thought there was good in him. I did love him. He was my one and only husband after all, how could you not?" I cough, reminding her of my reign with Henry. "Sorry darling."

"It's fine, just reminding." She takes a breath before resuming.

"Henry was really anxious about a male heir. His illegitimate son had died, ruining his chance of letting him succeed, so if I didn't provide a boy, he would've shut me out. The whole country wanted a legitimate heir. The pressure was there. I did my best to be the perfect wife in his eyes, fixing my every little mistake I made before he could find out. And thankfully, I provided Edward. The country celebrated, bonfires, parties, a lot was happening. When it was time for Edward's christening, the beginning of it had taken place in my bedchambers. I remember being wrapped up in robes and carried to Henry's chapel. I wanted to participate in every way I could. Elizabeth was carried by my brother Thomas, and Mary stood as Edward's godmother. I wanted to see more, but I grew very ill." She trails off, and knowing what happened to Jane, we're nearing the end of the story. "I remember having to stay in bed, delirious and suffering from a high fever, doctors and attendants scurrying around trying to help me. And not being able to hold Edward. All I wanted was to care for him. Watch him grow up......." Tears are starting to fall from her eyes. "But I died before I saw any of that." I wrap my arms around the silver queen in attempt to comfort her, but there's not much I can do. She cries into my shoulder for a while. I rub her back, trying to calm her down, but like with Catherine and Anne, I don't know what it's like to lose connection with a child, whether it be from death or from separation. She sniffs and I pull away, knowing she's calmer than before.

"Are you okay?" She nods. "Anything else you think would be helpful?"

"Um, for the sake of your project, I did do some research on what happened after my death." _Aww, you didn't have to do that, but thanks._ "And if I did it correctly, I did find out I was his only wife who received a queen's funeral. And, my portrait continued to hang long after my death, probably because I gave him a son. And, he waited two years before looking for another wife, which was the longest wait apparently." I finish writing the last of my notes before letting go of my pencil, shaking my hand. Jane smiles.

"Thank you so much Jane, this is going to help a lot."

"Thank you for listening. I know I probably didn't say as much as Catherine or Anne did." I shake my head.

"That's completely fine. The length doesn't matter, I'm just grateful you helped me out." There's always been this warming presence about Jane, but now, I feel like that presence has gotten warmer in a way. _Talking about our reigns is helping us. _

"Is there anything else you need sweetie?"

"Uh, yeah I just have one last question: If you could rewrite your story with Henry, what would happen?"

"Well, I wouldn't change what happened back then if it meant I could live with, take care of, and spend time with all of you." She says without a second thought. "And be with Anna." She adds on as well as I roll my eyes at the comment.

"Jane, I love you, and you and Anna are so cute together." Jane blushes at the compliments. "But you didn't answer my question...." The silver queen nods, then thinks about her response for a moment.

"I think I'd like to continue living with Henry. Watch Edward grow up, have more children, help them through their lives." _I don't understand what she sees in him, but if that's what her rewrite story is, then I'm not one to judge._

"Thanks again Jane."

"You're very welcome Kat." We share a moment of silence before Anna calls out for me.

"KAT YOUR PRESENCE IS NEEDED!" Although the following words couldn't be understood, it's very clear that Anne had scolded the red queen for calling out. I laugh, knowing that Anne is probably kicking Anna's ass at some game and needs my assistance. Jane laughs as well, very much knowing the mischievous side of her girlfriend. 

"You should go see what they're up to. I'll start lunch." She says with a content smile. I smile back, glad that Jane's feeling better.

"Okay mum." I get up from the bed before realizing what I had just said. My eyes widen as I quickly turn back to her. "Oh my god I'm so sorry Jane I--"

"Don't be." Jane interrupts. "It's really okay. I love taking care of you guys, and if you'd like to call me that, I'd be happy to be your 'honorary mum'." She makes quotation marks at the title she gives herself. I internally sigh, thankful I didn't say anything offensive. 

"If you say so. See ya later mum!" I call out, my things in hand, as I exit the room; I see Jane start to get up and leave as well. Before I join the video game squad, I hide my notebook and pencil in my room to make sure no one sees it, after all the other queens can be snoopy at times.

_Phew I've gotten through three queens already. We're halfway there. Thank god._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sources:
> 
> Six the musical  
> https://englishhistory.net/tudor/monarchs/jane-seymour/  
> https://genius.com/Original-west-end-cast-of-six-heart-of-stone-lyrics


	5. Divorced

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kit goes to Anna

I'm not able to 'interview' Anna until nighttime, after she and Jane get home from their date. After I put on my pjs, knowing Anna would've done the same, I go find the red queen, to find her alone in the living room. _I guess Jane's in bed if they're not doing something together right now._ My 'research supplies' are already in hand, and I sit on the couch next to her. 

"What'chu dooooooiiiiiinnnnngg?" I ask in a very mischievous high pitched voice, hoping my best friend will catch on. She turns away from whatever she was watching and towards me, a smirk very clear on her face. _Oh hell yeah._

"I'm.....busy." 

"How busy would you say you were on a scale of 8-9?"

"14!!" She yells in a very deep voice, mimicking the character.

"Squidward, I'm no mathematologist but, that seems like a lot!" Anna bursts into a fit of laughter, causing me to break character as well. "Dangit Anna we got so far that time!!!"

"What? I can't help myself!" She between laughs. "You can't expect me to quote a [Spongebob scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEtxV_Cicv4) and not laugh." As we start to calm down again, Anna leans against the back of the couch. "You're really cracking down on this project of yours huh?" Based on my reaction, the red queen adds on, "JJ told me earlier."

"Ooohhhh." I sit up, face Anna, then open up my notebook as I always do, titling the next free page with the queen's name: in this case, Anna of Cleves. "I'm sure you won't have as much trouble talking about it as the others have, so start when you're ready."

"Alrighty do. As you know, I grew up in Germany. I was educated there, and knew absolutely nothing about English traditions--pay attention, that's gonna come in handy later. So anyway, you know how Henry became protestant and broke up with Rome right?" I nod, remembering the whole Aragon vs Boleyn ordeal. "Well, England was in danger of being isolated, and Henry was scared we was gonna get attacked, so his plan was to make an alliance with all the non-catholic states of Europe in case of conflict or war; and he decided to make an alliance with Germany."

"Wait......why?" My naturally curious self (especially when it comes to history) asks.

"The elites at least were Lutherans--followers of Martin Luther, and in other words Protestant." She clarifies.

"Ah. Thank you. Please continue." The red queen nods and resumes the story.

"So, he sauntered on over to the Haus of Holbein and was presented portraits of women made by none other than the famous painter Hans Holbein. He was shown Christina of Denmark and Amalia of Cleves, my sister, but decided against both. Christina got engaged to the Duke of Milan and I suppose Amalia wasn't good enough. Which is funny because he saw my portrait and he was like 'I want _her_ '." I look at her with a worried glance. _Anna, don't say that. You're beautiful. We all think so, especially Jane._ "Now, I'm not saying I'm not beautiful, because trust me, I know this," she gestures to herself, "is hot." I giggle for a second at her comment. _That's so like you._ "I'm saying that _Henry_ didn't think I was as hot as my portrait."

"Of course he wouldn't, he's an asshole." Anna smirks at the _very true_ claim.

"I know, but Kat, don't let Jane hear you. She's still awake in her room painting." I tilt my head. _If she's awake, why aren't you spending time with her?_ "She told me to go talk to you about my reign for your project, but I couldn't find you, so I just came here."

"I keep interrupting, sorry, keep going."

"Okay, so I'm shipped over to England not knowing a single word of English or their traditions right? So APPARENTLY it's funny to dress up like a peasant, sneak behind your future wife, and makeout with her when she has NO IDEA what the HELL is going on!" Anna rants on. _God, it was such a different time back then._ She takes a breath to calm down. "And because I didn't play along, he told his friends that I had 'no class' but I mean come on, it's such a sh*tty thing to do I have no idea how that became a thing in England." I shrug, not knowing the answer, but knowing people were definitely messed up. _It is pre-Enlightenment so I guess it makes sense._ "Anyway, so even though my marrying Henry became a lot less important, he followed through with it anyway." I purse my lips, restricting myself from interrupting. "You wanna ask something don't you mein Besteline?" Reluctantly, I nod. "Go ahead and ask it, I don't mind. Plus, I know how much you love history." I breath a sigh of relief. _This is why you're my best friend._

"Phew okay thanks. Why did your marriage become less important?"

"Well, there was this truce between France and Rome that actually was the reason Henry got all fired up in the first place. But once that collapsed, he was no longer on edge, and thus, my marriage not that needed."

"Well that sucks. Back then I mean."

"Tell me about it. Then war between Rome and Germany was inevitable, and then Henry was like 'oh sh*t don't want to get involved in this!' because he thought that since he was married to me, therefore making an alliance, he was going to get dragged into their war. So he set off trying to nullify the marriage, and to be honest, I wasn't complaining. He told people that I was too unattractive that he couldn't *ahem* touch me, and I'm pretty sure part of that came from my _very_ good taste in German fashion." I giggle for a second, knowing the fourth queen was slightly joking. "As you know, this was when he started paying attention to my lady in waiting...."

"Me."

"That's right. I didn't fight against the affair, knowing what happened with Catherine. I testified saying the marriage was never consummated, and he divorced me. And because I was so cooperative with the whole thing, he titled me 'The King's Sister' and gave me some land and like a sh*t ton of money. He gave me Richmond Palace, which was previously the principal residence of Mary--Catherine's daughter. I felt kind of bad, but I mean it's the king, what can you do?"

"And then you visited the castle when I became queen." I remember standing by Henry's side and then seeing Anna in court. I didn't associate myself with her back then as much, but those visits were enough for me to trust her once I first got my memories back. _She'd been there for me when it first happened, and I'm forever grateful._

"Yup, I couldn't help myself. Girl, you made that place fun." I smile.

"Of course I did. Henry could _never_ make that place as much fun without me." She giggles.

"Yeah, not with his huge ego, his tiny brain, and even tinier d*ck." We're full on laughing at this point.

"Oh my god, YES! That is SO TRUE!" It takes us a few minutes to calm down, as we had continues our antics by doing really bad impressions of the man we all despise. "Thanks for sharing, by the way. I feels really good to let loose--"

"--After all the angst that came with the first three queens?" Anna finishes my sentence, accurately, but differently phrased. "No problem. It was nice to talk about it, even if I didn't have much problems with Henry." She winks, and a burst out in laughter before being shushed by a certain mom friend, the sudden voice causing me to jump.

"Girls, it's late. You might want to head to your rooms."

"By rooms you mean Kat goes to Cath's room and I go to yours correct?" Jane rolls her eyes, probably because she knows Anna's correct.

"Sure. I'll wait for you." 

"I'll be up in a minute Liebling!" With that, the silver queen disappears, and my best friend and I turn to face each other. "Any last questions my interrogator?" This time, I roll my eyes at the fourth queen.

"Yeah, yeah. If you were to rewrite your story with Henry and/or your life back then, what would you do?"

"Are we assuming we'll still be reincarnated into the 21st century, meet up, buy a house, and eventually start dating each other?"

"Yes. Everyone's been saying that, and I understand where you guys are coming from, but come on!" Anna chuckles at my complaint before thinking about her _actual_ answer.

"After the divorce, I'd move back to the Haus of Holbein, and show those guys how to PARTY!"

"I think you mean _parr_ -ty." I say with a smirk, resulting in a playful punch to the arm and a laughing Anna. "But in all seriousness, thank you again."

"It's no big. But we should go head upstairs. Don't want to keep our girlfriends waiting after all." We giggle and I follow Anna up the stairs, as I had gathered up my materials from the living room prior. We say our goodbyes before heading into our girlfriends' rooms. 

_This was a nice break, but there's more to be discovered._

Catherine Parr

I wake up the next morning with a yawn, feeling relaxed and not as tired as I usually am. After Kitty came into my room last night, she somehow convinced me to go to sleep instead of staying up writing. And once we settled ourselves in bed, she snuggled into my arms and surprisingly, I fell asleep right away--before she did I think. I decide to get up out of bed and see that my girlfriend had dropped her notebook last night. The cover is open to one of the pages titled 'Catherine of Aragon'. I look over to the other side of the bed, and see that said girlfriend is still asleep. _I know I shouldn't be snooping but what is this?_

I pick up the purple notebook, reading the contents of the page. _This is a bunch of notes on Catherine's history?_ I flip through the next page, seeing similar notes for Anne, and then Jane, and then Anna. I come to the conclusion that the pink queen is doing some research on each one of us--though that should've been obvious. Then my eyes widen at a realization. _I don't know what this is for, but if she's doing this research in order then......oh boy._

_Kitty's next._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sources:
> 
> Six the Musical  
> https://www.history.co.uk/biographies/anne-of-cleves  
> https://genius.com/Original-west-end-cast-of-six-get-down-lyrics  
> (I forgot where I found out about the whole peasant dressing up thing but I did so credit to that)
> 
> (also click the link for the spongebob video bc why not?)
> 
> mein Besteline--my bestie  
> Liebling--darling  
> (I used google translate so it might not be correct lol)
> 
> Thanks to everyone who gave feedback! It's fixed now (hopefully)


	6. Beheaded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kit reflects on her own life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't been TW-ing but just letting people know this chapter will talk about Kitty's experiences with sexual abuse and rape so just make sure you're prepared.

_If I'm going to do this right, I gotta go in order. Which means I'm next. Oh boy._ I tell the others I'm heading into the music room to practice something, knowing they'll most likely leave me alone. It's another half-lie I tell them, As I really just need some guaranteed privacy. The main reason I started this project was because I came up with a basis of a song based off of my own life. I have the chords, somewhat of a melody, and some lyric ideas. 

I walk in with some water and my sheet music folder, place the water next to my project notebook, and the sheet music on the piano stand thing--right in front of where I'm standing. I figure that since I have this much progress with my song, I might as well continue writing it while I reflect. I start playing the chords: Bm, D, A, G. I start humming along the melody I'd come up with previously. When I run out of melody, I take stop playing, and set my hands in my lap. _Okay. Let's start then._ I take a breath, knowing this isn't going to be as easy as it was for Anna.

_Alright, where to start? Right. 11 or 12. Mom died......and I was sent to step-grammy, Agnes. She didn't pay much attention to me, so I guess that's why no one payed attention to me or stopped them from......yeah. I never felt sexual attraction to them. I mean, I could see why someone would find them attractive--minus Henry--but I just wanted to trust them. I didn't want a connection, I just wanted a friend. But I never got that did I? At least not until Rochford, but that's not that important right now. I wanted to feel seen and appreciated...._

There's a slight tingle across my neck and knowing what could happen next, I grab my water bottle and press it to my neck. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding at the cool temperature. S _o, who's first again? Right._

_Henry Manox. My music teacher who worked for step-grammy. Seeing how he was my teacher I wanted to leave a good impression, but I guess my looks did that for me. I was....13, just entering teen life, and Manox was like way older--his mid-30's I'd say. He spent long periods of time teaching me, but in all honesty, I think I did better learning on my own. He always treated me with care, and being 13, that's all I needed for me to trust him. Then, one day when step-grammy left the house during my lesson, he got way closer that he probably should've been. But, I was 13, you don't know that much, so naturally I didn't pay attention--just focused on my music. I then felt his hands running down my sides, but I just focused on my music, thinking "this is what all friends do". We had been sitting on the edge of my bed, so a little bit later, he grew tired of the teasing and pulled me into the center of the bed. I had gently placed the lute I was playing off to the side. I thought we were going to play a game, take a break from the music._

_Then....he smirked. As if this was something he did to all his students. Then he did it. Took away my virginity without asking if I wanted to do it with him. I screamed when he went inside, and then his hand choking me, preventing me from making any noise. All I wanted was to stop. But I couldn't tell him. I couldn't do anything it hurt and I didn't like it and then step-grammy walked in on us, and I couldn't tell her that he forced himself onto me because she wouldn't listen, no one ever listened, she just hit me for seeing a man alone she didn't care that I was raped or that I was only 13 or any of that they were all so cruel to me--_

I shake my head to snap out of the spiraling and drink my entire water bottle in one go. Knowing I'll need more, I open the door and head to the fridge to grab another bottle of water. I catch a glimpse of my reflection and see that my neck is red, mostly around the scar, and beads of sweat are scattered across my forehead. If anyone notices, they don't say anything. Heading back, I close the door behind me once again before sitting at the piano. _Wait, I could use this melody....._ My fingers take their positions on the keys, and as I play the first chord, I start singing.

" _Broad, dark, sexy Manox...._ " I stop, quickly thinking of a rhyme. " _Taught me all about dynamics._ " I think about the next lyric. _I mean I can lower his age for the sake of writing, so...._ " _He was twenty-three. And I was thirteen............going on thirty._ Damn, I'm surprisingly good at this." I write down the new things I've come up with in the sheet music I'd placed in front of me. _That's good for now. Who was next?_

_Francis Dereham. He worked as step-grammy's secretary when I was 14--about a year after Manox I guess. He asked me to be his assistant, and I mean, I didn't have anything else to do, seeing as my innocence and childhood was taken away from me, so I agreed. He always got what he wanted. And goes the same for my body I guess. Or for sexual purposes. He had me do hand jobs for him, which, by the way, you have a left hand, so use it. Hah. Heathers reference. Anyway, whenever I wanted to take a break, he would tell me to come into his office anyway. If I refused, he'd keep me in longer just to punish me. I guess he wanted more than what I gave him, because like Henry Manox, he started out way closer than he usually was one day._

_I didn't want to be put in that situation again, so I hoped and hoped that if I ignored the closing distance and focused on my work, he'd leave me alone. But no. He started running his hands along my stomach and thighs. Then he grabbed me, pulled me away from whatever I was working on, and practically threw me onto the floor. It was so cold. Then like Manox, he forced himself into me. I yelled out, hoping step-grammy would hear me because she was home. She must've not cared 'cause she didn't come. And I know for a fact she heard. Francis probably knew this too, because his hand grabbed at my neck. I couldn't talk, I couldn't scream, I couldn't breathe. I thought I saw Manox right next to him, the same smirk and satisfaction on both of their faces..._

I shake my head once again. The pain on my neck is more prominent, but not to the point of flashbacks. Though very close.

"God, I need to stop digressing like this." I say to the empty room. To take my mind off the specifics, I turn my attention back to the sheet music. "Okay, let's make this the second verse. How about....." The B minor chord fills my ears. " _Serious. Starting low?_ Nah. That's weird. Um..... _Serious. Stern and slow._ " _Ah. Much better._ " _Gets what he wants, and he won't take no._ Uh...... _Passion in all that he touches......the......sexy secretary to....._ uh what would rhyme? Hmm......... _to...the.....Dowager Duchess._ Yes perfect." Like before, I write down what I've come up with in my sheet music.

I take a drink from my water, only to find that it had gotten warmer. _This won't be of any use to my neck heating up now._ I decide to get an ice pack instead, knowing it'll stay cold longer than my water bottles. I go to open the door, to find Cathy standing there. 

"Oh hi Cathy!" I press a kiss to her cheek. When she doesn't respond, my face turns worried. "Is something wrong, mon amour?" The blue queen looks at me sincerely.

"Kitty, I know you're looking back on your past life." I purse my lips and avoid my girlfriend's gaze. "I didn't mean to invade your privacy, but as I was picking up your notebook this morning, I saw your 'Catherine of Aragon' page, and I may have flipped through." When I don't answer, out of embarrassment, Cathy adds on. "I'm sorry." I shake my head.

"No. It's fine. I just, don't want you to see me like this." I motion to my very red neck, still very warm from recalling Francis. The blue queen takes my hands in hers.

"Kitty, I love you no matter what. And I want you to know you don't have to do your portion of the project alone." One of her hands caresses my cheek. "I know how hard your life was back then. We all do." I wrap my arms around the last queen's body and bury my face into her shoulder, nodding.

"Okay." I say quietly. "I'm sure you know better." After a minute I let go of the hug. "Any chance you could get me an icepack first?" She presses a kiss to my crown.

"Of course babe. I'll be right back." She heads into the kitchen and I clean up my sheet music, putting it in its folder and hiding it behind the piano. _Don't want anyone seeing right now._ Cathy comes back with the icepack and presses it to my neck. _Does it count as sighing if a let out a breath and think it feels good?_ "This okay?" I hum a 'yes' in response. "How far did you get on your own?"

"Just finished with Francis. Right before I became a lady in waiting." She nods and reaches over for my notebook, which is open to the 'Katherine Howard' page. "Oh, you don't have to--" Cathy presses a finger to my lips.

"Shh. You were there for everyone else whilst they talked about it. You should have that support when you talk about yours. And I'm going to be that person for you." I start blushing at the sweet comments coming from my girlfriend's mouth. "So, you became a lady in waiting while Anna was still queen, right? And then once their marriage started to get a little shaky, he started to notice you?" I can tell Cathy's trying to ease me into talking about it, so I comply and start talking.

"I didn't want anything to do with any other boys at this point. But, he _was_ the king, and you can't say no. Plus, at the time I thought this was just an advancement career-wise; not his sexual attraction that seems so obvious now." I start to fiddle with my hands, trying to distract myself from going too far into my thoughts. "So then we got married. He thought our love was so real, and so true, and I was just disappointed because I was going to go down that road again. But hey, at least I was used to just being a toy right? I mean, that's all I am." With her right hand (as Cathy was left-handed), she rubs my knee. Normally I'd flinch at the gesture, knowing my past, but rather I relaxed. _I guess it's a Cathy thing._

"Hey. You are so much more than what you were back then. You've said that to all of us. You are talented, selfless, kind, and so much more. And I've said this so many times, I love you for you, Kitty."

"And not just my body." I finish, as she tells me this often. "I know." She smiles.

"And I'll keep telling you until it sinks in." I smile back, and the blue queen sits up again. "So, Henry thought your relationship was real, and didn't believe all the rumors about your past, and then you and Thomas Culpeper became friends?" I nod.

"Yeah. Henry had left to attend business elsewhere, and Thomas helped me out. Henry came back, and Thomas and I stayed friends. Rumors were starting to spread about how I was cheating on Henry with Thomas. I told Henry that is wasn't a big deal and that we had no romantic intentions. And it was true--at least for me..." I trail off, remembering how scared I was at this next part. "Then one day, my lady in waiting, Jane Rochford, helped Thomas and I sneak out of the castle to hang out. That's what Rochford and I thought at least. After Thomas led me to our destination, he forced himself onto me. Smashed our lips together, holding me tight enough that I couldn't move. I tried my hardest to escape, Cathy. I thought he was my friend. He was my _cousin._ I thought he actually cared about me but turns out he didn't give a f*ck! At least with Henry I had expected it. But, I trusted Thomas. I really did, Cathy. Then he just, raped me. They always did. That day, I saw Manox, and Francis, and Henry, right there with him. Always smirking. Always choking me. Always _satisfied._ I was terrified. I couldn't do anything. Nothing I did mattered because I was always framed as the seductress, or the slut, the whore, you name it, they called me it." I pressed the icepack closer to my burning scar. _It hurts like hell._ I close my eyes. "When I got back, Henry screamed at me. It wasn't all about Thomas either. He shamed me for having sex with Manox and Francis. He was so loud. I tried my hardest to tell him what actually happened but he didn't listen. It's not like anyone listened to me...."

I hear a sadly familiar laugh. I look up and suddenly I'm not in the music room anymore. It's dark, and I'm locked up, chained to the floor. I try my hardest to break free, look for a way out: a key or something. I cry out for help, but I'm all alone. A light shines right in front of me to reveal someone I can't quite recognize due to the distance. I call out to them, hoping that they can hear me. Then, another light shines to my left, revealing another person. Then behind me. Then to my right. _No, please. Anyone but them. Please._ The four figures start approaching me quickly. I yell at them to stop, to go away, to leave me alone. But they keep advancing. When they get close enough, I see the same satisfaction on their faces as that one day. Their evil smirks. Their laughs. It makes me want to throw up. I struggle and squirm and god ALL I WANNA DO IS GET OUT OF HERE! Their hands grab onto me, rough, and painful. _Please just LEAVE ME ALONE!!_ Their hands get closer to my breast and in between my legs. I squeeze my eyes shut, knowing what comes next.

"KITTY ARE YOU OKAY?!" Cathy hands are gripped onto my shoulders, and she's shaking me back and forth. My breathing is heavy and slow from the.....flashback? _What was that? It's not really a flashback because it was a completely different situation..._

"Cathy?"

Cathy pulls me into her lap. I bury my face into her shoulder, tears falling. I cry into her shoulder as she rubs my back and whispers sweet nothings into my ear to help me calm down. It takes a while, but eventually my crying is spent and I'm able to speak again. I don't dare move away from my current position.

"Then, I was prisoned, and practiced laying my head on the block until I was beheaded. And then no one cared when I died." The blue queen presses a kiss to my crown.

"You don't have to worry, it's the 21st century now." I look up at my girlfriend. "And I'm proud of you. You went back to those painful times, and got through it strong. You've done such a great job." I smile for the first time since I started. _I did it. I really did it._

"Thank you Cathy." The last queen smiles back.

"You're welcome Kitty." I make the decision to close the gap in between us and connect our lips, slowly closing my eyes.. Not the tiny pecks we give while the other is sleeping. A real one. While Cathy's is awake and aware of what's happening. Our _first_ 'real' kiss to be exact. I feel Cathy kiss back and it's the best feeling in the world. When I pull back and open my eyes, Cathy breathes out. "Woah. That was....great."

"Veux-tu...." I ask in French, slightly embarrassed at the question. I don't get an answer, but rather Cathy pulls our lips together. _Being with Cathy is so much better than any of the men in my last life. Though....that's probably obvious._ The two of us are so into the kiss, we don't notice the door to the music room opening.

"Guys, Jane says lunch is ready--oh my god." The sound of my older cousin's voice causes Cathy and I to pull away. _Dangit Anne._ "Cath you said you were going to _check in_ on my baby cousin. Not _make out_ with her."

"As if you don't make out with Catherine." Cathy retorts.

"ANYway the two of you need to come to the table. It's your turn to set up." I giggle at Anne's lack of a comeback as the blue queen rolls her eyes.

"Alright Anne. Be right there." Anne leaves with a wink directed towards me. I stick out my tongue at the green queen. Before I get off of Cathy's lap, I press a final kiss to her lips.

"You go ahead. I'll clean up." We both get up and Cathy wraps her arms around my waist as I start to gather my things.

"Nah. I'll wait. I'm feeling particularly clingy today." _Well, I can get my sheet music later. It's not like anyone's gonna see it._

"Is that so? Usually I'm the clingy one."

"What? Can I not show affection for my favorite Kitten?" I blush slightly at the nickname. I take my notebook and such in one hand, and put my other hand on Cathy's cheek as I turn around. I bring our faces closer, not enough that we're kissing, but very close.

"You can. It just depends on whether I'll let you." I give her a wink and head out of the music room, feeling very satisfied with myself. I hear Cathy quickly follow me out and close the door. I quicken my pace just to toy with her, and soon we're running all throughout the main floor of our house. I quickly place the items I'm holding on the coffee table in the living room and run over to the dining. I'm about to 'win' when I come face to face with a cross Catherine.....and a set table. _Shoot. We forgot._ I stop in place, resulting in Cathy running into me, and the both of us stumbling.

"The two of you are setting up _and_ cooking for dinner tonight."

"But I'm taking Kitty out tonight..." Cathy reminds. _Wait you are?_ The blue queen seems to read my mind because as she wraps her arms around my shoulders, she whispers into my ear. "Just go with it." I nod, then focus on the head of the house, who rolls her eyes.

"Fine, but the two of you are cooking _and_ setting up for breakfast and lunch tomorrow, got it?" I can hear snickering from the stairs, most likely coming from Anne and Anna. With a groan, Cathy and I agree to Catherine's proposal, knowing she could've given us something a lot worse. "Good, now go sit down, Anne went to get Anna, so we're gonna start." The two of us sit down right as Anne and Anna walk in. I stick my tongue out at the two, making sure she knew I heard them. The only thing I got from it was a head ruffle from Anna, as she sits to my left (Cathy was on my right).

_Well, if Cathy's taking me out, I have something to look forward to later! Can't wait!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sources:
> 
> Six the musical  
> https://www.history.co.uk/biographies/catherine-howard  
> https://genius.com/Original-west-end-cast-of-six-all-you-wanna-do-lyrics  
> Me adding character and making some stuff up (withe the specific relationships)
> 
> I've disregarded some stuff from history.co.uk for characterizing purposes, and for the fact that it doesn't talk about how she was HECKING R_PED! So, yeah. 
> 
> Translations:
> 
> mon amour : my love  
> veux-tu... : do you wanna...


	7. Survived

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cathy takes Kit out because Cathy's last

Later in the day Cathy and I head out towards the park. I'm carrying a picnic basket, as we've always liked to keep our dates pretty simple. Coffee at our favorite cafe, walking through the bookstore, movie night, etc. The two of us find a good spot, and together we place our blanket and such on the grass before sitting down. It's a pretty normal date for a while, then Cathy opens the picnic basket and starts searching for something.

"What'chu lookin' for babe?" She then pulls out....my project notebook? The blue queen flips to an empty page, writes her name on top, like all my other pages, and hands it to me.

"Figured you'd want a change in scenery." I smile at Cathy's thoughtfulness. "Plus, it _is_ my turn. You're almost done."

"Was this your plan all along?"

".......Maybe." We giggle for a little bit.

"Okay. You ready?" She thinks about it for a second before slowly nodding. "You don't have to do this now." She shakes her head.

"You're almost done with your project. I want to do this." I beam and snuggle into her. _Aww, thanks babe._ I press a quick kiss to the blue queen's cheek.

"You can start when you want to then." 

"Well, after your death, there weren't any future wives for him to claim. And, on top of that, he had passed a law saying if he married someone who turns out not to be a virgin, and you have information on it, you have to tell him or die. A lot of women and their families were now scared to approach the king in attempt of marriage, because it would mean risking death." _Oh boy, that happened 'cause of me. I mean, he wouldn't let me have a say in the situation, but still._ "Various people, including my parents, relaxed when Henry took notice of me."

"'Cause you had two other husbands, so he knew right away you weren't a virgin?"

"That's right. Pre-Henry, I had been married twice, only to be widowed both times. Both my parents were courtiers: my father was knighted, and my mother had been a lady-in-waiting since Catherine was queen; so I had been in court often. I had always enjoyed the intellectual discussions, as well as the dancing and music, and after my second husband died, I would have enough money to start my own life. And then, I met Thomas. He was...kind, and handsome, and before I knew it, we had fallen in love. From that moment, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. But, Henry had other plans. Like he did with the others, he sent gifts, and I knew that despite where my heart was taking me, being with Henry would be my best bet at survival." She pauses, and I gently press into her, reminding her that I'm here. "So, I had to write a letter to Thomas explaining all that. That I had to marry the king despite our plans. Once that was sent, Henry and I got married."

"And didn't that push the court more toward Protestant Christianity?" I sit up once again to face Cathy, who has a smile on her face. _Yes, you love topics like these. Probably why you and Catherine get along so well, with the fact that she's your godmother._

"Well yes, the court was split between Catholicism and Protestantism and wanted Henry's opinion on the matter, but he honestly couldn't decide. My marriage to the king didn't change that at first, as I had no opinion. However, as time went on, I took a liking to the Protestant faith and found myself defending those who also did. There was this 'Act for the Advancement of the True Religion' which, in its final form, allowed both the lower class, and noble women to study the Bible independently. Of course, the women who did had to do so privately, and that was something I did not want to do. My position as queen was pretty secure: Henry was as nice as he could be, ambassadors wrote, praising my kindness, I helped fix the children's relationships with their father and gave them education; I didn't have much to worry about. That is, until some conservatives and executed this female reformist--Anne Askew. The Catholics were confident that they would convince Henry to get rid of me, like he did for Thomas Cromwell. Knowing the risk, and what happened to the queens before me, I threw out most of my evangelical books."

"Did he ever do something about it?" I ask, really curious and back to my research state--that is, rather than the state I was in earlier.

"There was this one time that came really close. It was a normal night, I was nursing his leg, and then I just so casually started talking about religion with him." I raise an eyebrow. "Uhh, well, more like lecture, heh. Anyway, he was _not_ in the mood to talk about it, and he told his doctor that I was about to be arrested."

"Wait, but then how'd you find out?"

"Some unnamed courtier left a copy of the warrant outside my room." I mouth an 'ah' and Cathy continues. "I was scared out of my life. I went to Henry's room, and he almost immediately started talking religion. I was excited for a moment, then realized he was talking about contradictions to my beliefs. Knowing that he was about of arrest me, I knew that he was testing me. I agreed with all his claims: including the ones saying that women were inferior to men." I roll my eyes. _Ugh._ "Right? And then to 'seal the deal', I told him that I only did it to learn from him and to distract him from his illness. And he _believed_ it." _Pffffff._ "He could be so gullible at times." The two of us let out a small chuckle.

"You got that right."

"When the guards came to arrest me, he went up and beat the sh*t out of them. And this reminded everyone that _he_ was in charge and he did _not_ like being manipulated. Then, in the winter of....1546 I think, he grew very ill. I continued to nurse him, until I left to go visit Mary and Elizabeth in Greenwich Palace for Christmas. When I came back, never saw him again. Dead." I blink twice.

"Wow. Just, I never thought you'd went through all that stuff. No offense." The surviving queen smiles.

"None taken. That's just how history pictures me. Unimportant and unnecessary compared the other queens."

"Okay, first off, you're _very_ important. Ask any of us, ask me. Plus, you were involved in all of that religious stuff--that's gotta amount up to _something_." She opens her mouth to speak but I shush her. "I'm not done. Second, if anyone's unnecessary, it's the teenager who was like 40-somethin' years younger than him. Don't say anything, it's a matter of fact." The blue queen shrugs, as if to say 'yeah, you've got a point'. I continue. "And finally............uh." _Shoot I don't have a third point._ Cathy smirks.

"You finished?" She asks, but she knows she's won. Admitting defeat (sadly), I sigh and nod. "Okay, I was going to say, that I don't believe how history paints me, I just wish I wasn't so under-appreciated. You know, just one of his wives." I take her hands in mine, looking her straight in the eyes. _Hah, nothing is straight about this situation. That's funny._

"You're not just a wife or unimportant or unnecessary in my life." She pecks my cheek.

"I know." I give her a kiss, a short one due to us being outside. I cuddle into her side once more as I ask the final question.

"Last thing. If you could rewrite your life back then, assuming we'll still be brought back into the 21st century, and we'd all still be the same and whatever, how would you go about it?" She pauses for a few seconds.

"I can't think of anything I'd change. I mean, sure there were some near-death experiences, but I did end up marrying Thomas, the man I loved. I was happy to spend time with Mary and Elizabeth and Edward, and help better their relationships with Henry. I did finally get pregnant with Thomas and gave birth to Mae. And even though like Jane, I died from childbed fever, I know she grew up strong. I wouldn't want to change that for her." _Damn, she put a lot of thought into this._

"But isn't there just _one thing_ you'd change. Even if it's completely radical?" She thinks for another second.

"Although we were born at drastically different times, I'd wished I met you guys sooner. I did enjoy my first life, but nothing could compare to the connect--I mean bond I share with you queens."

"Did you change your phrasing?"

"I didn't want to trigger anything. You know, like back before we started dating?" I shake my head.

"I've come to terms with the whole 'connection trigger' thing. And thanks to you earlier, I think I can come to terms with a lot of other things as well." Cathy starts to play with my hair.

"And thanks to _you_ , I've come to terms with some things as well. And the others have too. It's all 'cause of you, babe." I beam up at her.

"I guess it is, huh?" I get a kiss to the top of my head and we continue on with the cuddles and the picnic date we were on.

_This "project" is gonna be great!_

That Boleyn Girl

I head into the music room as I am in the mood for it. When I look around, a certain folder catches my eye. _Did KitKat leave this in here? Because if she was trying to hide it, she needs to do a better job._ I pick it up from its position behind the piano, and open it. There's a lot of sheet music in here, some of it filled out, other pages blank. I close it and look back at the cover. _There's a title..._

**Project Folder:**

_That's......interesting. Is this a different project?_ There's also a sticky note that's stuck right under it.

**Us the musical?**

**Queens the musical**

***Come up with a better name***

_Wait....what?_ I feel a mix of emotions. On one hand, I'm frustrated that I opened up my life story for a personal project having nothing to do with her classes. On another, I feel bad for searching through her folder and basically ruining the surprise. On yet another, I'm extremely excited that KitKat is writing a _musical_!! After sorting through the mess of feelings, I decide to take the folder up to my room. _There is NO WAY that KItKat is going to write a musical without me. I'm a musical theatre major for crying out loud. She's going to get professional advice from none other than moi._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sources:
> 
> Six the Musical  
> https://genius.com/Original-west-end-cast-of-six-i-dont-need-your-love-lyrics  
> https://www.britroyals.com/tudor.asp?id=catherine_parr  
> https://englishhistory.net/tudor/monarchs/katharine-parr/  
> (the stuff about Mae I made up for the sake of the story pls don't come at me)
> 
> AHH! We're done! Yes! The actually writing the musical and stuff is in the next work in the series, so if ya wanna see that, it's coming up.


End file.
